Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday provided relief to the CBI in the Tirupati laddoo controversy by staying the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s order that questioned the agency director’s decision to allow an officer outside the official SIT to investigate. The apex court observed that if the SIT wanted to appoint a special officer, there was “nothing wrong with that.”
High Court’s Objection to Officer Appointment
The Andhra Pradesh High Court had earlier ruled that CBI director’s approval of J Venkat Rao’s involvement was against the Supreme Court’s 2024 directive. That order had mandated a five-member SIT—comprising two CBI officers nominated by the director, two state police officers nominated by Andhra Pradesh, and one FSSAI senior official. The HC noted Rao was not formally nominated and therefore could not assume investigative powers.
Petition Against Alleged Harassment
The case was triggered by a petition from Kaduru Chinnappanna, who alleged harassment by Venkat Rao. He claimed he was repeatedly summoned, pressured into appearing before the SIT office in Tirupati, and coerced into giving “scripted false statements.” The HC took note of this while passing its earlier order.
CBI’s Argument Before Supreme Court
Appearing for the CBI director, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that the high court wrongly concluded Rao had no official role. The SC bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran questioned the HC’s reasoning, highlighting that SIT flexibility was part of ensuring thorough investigation.
Background of the Controversy
The issue erupted in September 2024 when Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that animal fat had been used in preparing Tirumala laddoos under the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government. The opposition strongly denied the charges. Following these allegations, the Supreme Court ordered the CBI to constitute an SIT in November 2024 to investigate the matter.
